Things I learned in this weeks lesson on decluttering.

I like the idea of looking at things in terms of how many hours I worked. A yard of fabric is equal to roughly a half hour of work before taxes and such. A massage is a half-days pay with the military discount since my insurance will not cover it. It makes much more sense than looking at dollars spent to look at it in terms of time.

Minimalism equals simplicity is also a good way to look at things, and reduces stress, which means better health.  I would rather spend my time quilting and reading than dealing with stuff and bills.

It took years to accumulate all this stuff and it will take time to go through it all and reduce or simplify.

Things I am focusing on this next week:

My motivations are that I desire to own less because I want less stress. I want to focus on my quilting and creative projects, peace, calm, family, travel, and my relationship with God.

I believe it is possible to simplify, but will take time and focus to achieve it.

I am ready to move on to the next step and focus on reducing clutter.

Uncluttered

I decided that one of my goals this year was to unclutter and the earthquake last November was one of the things that helped to spark that decision. I have been working on this off and on for several years, randomly, but this year I really mean to stick to it and to assist with that goal I signed up for an online class called Uncluttered.  They hold the class about three times a year and it lasts for about twelve weeks.

I have read about the Art of Swedish Death Cleaning or Hygge, and Marie Kondo's Magic Art of Tidying Up along with multiple other books related to decluttering and that gets me motivated for a week or two, but I don't seem to stick with it. I have gone through my clothes, and through my spices, and the pantry, but then I seem to fizzle out.

I signed up for this class along with an online quilting buddy so that we can encourage each other to shed or purge things we do not need.

I have done some since the earthquake as I had to clear off and move some shelves to clean up broken glass and for Tom to repair the seam that split in the corner from the jolting of the earthquake. In starting to put things back on the shelves I have been cleaning and clearing out books and such that we do not need or do not want. It is still ongoing progress as I have also been subbing and we were gone for two weeks in December, plus it took Tom a while to finish the repair. We are also going to pull everything down and paint the living room this summer, so I will probably get rid of more at that time.

The first assignment was to answer three questions related to your goal. I have been doing some thinking about my answers to the questions and I believe I have finally come up with my answers to declare my why. The questions ask you to think about what benefits you, what you look forward to, and what kind of example you want to set for others.  Lastly, you need to state why you want to own less.

I am feeling overwhelmed by all the stuff in the house and feel that by clearing some of it out I will be less stressed and more at peace. It will also mean less stuff is left here when I am gone for others to go through. I want less stress and anxiety, fewer distractions and less chaos.

I want to focus on my quilting and other creative projects and not on stuff. I also want to focus on travel, and family, and my relationship with God. I want more time, peace, contentment, and comfort. I want to be able to create, relax, and feel joy in my space.

I want to set an example for others that less is more and show that we often get weighted down by all our stuff. If we have less we have more freedom in life and can focus our time on other things that are more important to us than on stuff. I want to feel calm and at peace in my home.

I desire to own less because I want to feel free from the stress that occurs when I am overwhelmed by all the things in our home so I can focus on peace, calm, my creative projects, travel, family and my relationship with God.

The next class will be published on Monday, January 21, 2019, and I am looking forward to the information shared and the challenge for the week.

Grilled Veggies

When we grill, it is always veggies as I am a vegetarian, so even if I have a burger it is a veggie burger.  I have a sauce that I mix up for grilling that adds just the right touch of flavor to the veggies.  I also use this sauce when I make a veggie stir fry and when I bake the veggies. It is my favorite and tastes great with them all.

We grill all kinds of veggies, though our favorites include:
orange, yellow, and red peppers zucchini, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, asparagus, broccoli,
cauliflower, and of course corn. We also grill pumpkin, butternut squash, yellow squash, jalapeños, and even pineapple.

We have a couple different grilling sauces we use, but our favorite is the following:

1/4 c Braggs Amminos or Soy Sauce if you prefer
2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
1 or more Tbsp Agave (to your taste)
1+ tsp grated ginger or ginger powder (to taste)
1+ tsp finely diced garlic or garlic powder (to taste)
Hot Shot or Black Pepper to taste

Mix it really well and brush on veggies as they are grilling. It adds just the right amount of spice and sweetness.

Balancing the Scales of Justice

I had a phone call from one of those drama queen liberals today trying to convince me that Kavanaugh should not be confirmed. 

She wanted me to call my representatives in Congress and tell them not to confirm him. She could not give me one single fact to support her belief that appointing Kavanaugh will cause the sky to fall. Her reasoning was it was on the news, but I have not heard any solid facts to prove the world will end if he is appointed. She told me to watch the news but not FOXNews because it’s full of lies. 

According to the drama queen  having Kavanaugh as the ninth judge on the Supreme Court will cause all kinds of horrible things to be fall us. 

I’ve heard lots of opinions and theories but I’ve see no cold hard facts. What I have seen shows me that he’s a conservative and has strong religious beliefs, which will balance out the liberals and lead to us having a more balanced and reasonable Supreme Court. 

If we don’t have balance we swing too far left or right and that throws everything out of whack. I personally feel the balance is much better for everyone in our country.

Spoons

This is a great way to explain things and how some days are for me when I over do or have too much on my plate and have to slow down. Though my heart is good and they fixed it I still have times when because I over did I have to count my spoons and pick and choose what I will do. I have gotten much better at it as time has gone on. 

Last summer I used way more spoons than I had and it took me a long time to get back to having one spoon in reserve.

The Spoon Theory written by Christine Miserandino

This theory applies to anyone who has an illness that is hidden like heart disease, arthritis, cancer, depression, multiple sclerosis, and many more. It is one that I think will help others understand and be able to comprehend what it feels like to walk in our shoes.

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

I throw it all in my crockpot and let cook overnight, but you can simmer it for a few hours on the stove also.

Chop up 2 to 4 onions and saute, or microwave. (no oil either way)

Add 2 to 6 peppers I use red, yellow, and orange, chopped

1 1/2 - 2 cups of soaked and cooked black beans or 1 - 2can of low sodium black beans, rinsed.

Blend one can of low sodium diced tomatoes
With 2-4 cloves of garlic and add to the pot.

1 - 32 ounce carton of vegetable broth

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

Ancho Chili Powder to taste
1/2-1 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Hotshot or regular pepper to taste
Onion powder and garlic powder to taste


Serve with avocado, shredded cheese, or tortilla chips.

My Thoughts on the Inauguration and the New President

Yesterday our new president was inaugurated and for many the world turned upside down. I personally thing it is was it is and we have to give the man a chance. He was not my choice for the office, but neither was his primary opponent. I did note like either of them, so it is what it is.

I am willing to give the man a chance. I do know there are somethings on his agenda that I agree with, there are others I do not. I also know that as president he deserves my respect and a chance to prove himself.

I gave that much to the last one, for awhile, but he was not one I continued to respect and he in my opinion did things that were the worst possible things he could do for our country. I do not feel that he made the best choices for us as a whole and did not like the outcome of his health care bill. It stole things from my plan and he lied when he said things would not change.

One thing I did not do was riot and vandalize things when I did not agree with him and his actions. Many people who do not support our current president are doing just that. They are committing crimes in anger because they did not get their way. They are acting like two year olds and setting a horrid example for the children of this country.

I say like it or not, it is what it is, and we have to give our current president a chance. Now if the rest of the country would just take a deep breath and give the man a chance to prove himself, or …, rather than making harsh judgements without giving him a chance to either succeed or fail.

His choices of Retired U.S. Marine Corps General James Mattis to head the Department of Defense and Retired Marine Corps General John Kelly to head the Department of Homeland Security are excellent. I think he made the right selection for both positions and to me that says he is thinking things through. I may not agree with his pick for the Department of Education, but when it comes to our countries security I cannot think of two better men to head these departments.